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Empyrean Knights
The Empyrean Knights are an enigmatic exosuit faction consisting almost entirely of engineers and scientists. They are well known for fielding mostly fast flying exosuits and using several advanced heavy cargo airships as flying aircraft carriers. The group's goals are apparently to gather as much alien technology as possible, reverse engineer it, and replicate it. They are not above using violence and deception to accomplish their objectives which means they effectively operate like modern day privateers. 'Background' 'History' The Empyrean Knights are an insular and secretive group. Very little is known about the organization by outsiders. Members rarely interact with the general public and never discuss the internal workings of the faction. Many observers have noted the highly organized structure, highly skilled operatives, expensive equipment, and well defined objectives of the faction. This has led to speculation that the knights were founded and supported by some external entity. It has been suggested that the Empyrean Knights are an extra-legal proxy for a wealthy government or corporation that wishes to acquire alien technology by any means necessary and without UNISSO oversite. Regardless of their origins, these men have no official connection to any reputable organization, and the use of mobile airships allows them to avoid the laws of nation-states. In effect, the Empyrean Knights are modern day high tech privateers. 'Goals' The primary goal of the Empyrean Knights is to collect, understand, and apply alien technology. This goal often brings them into conflict with other groups and the Empyrean Knights are not above using violence to enforce their claims. They have a growing rivalry with several other exosuit factions, including Outer Haven, The Hunters, and especially The Vox Populi. Their airships are used to fly at high altitude where the ship and its compliment of exosuits patrol for suit pods or any other alien technology as it enters the atmosphere or lies on the ground. When alien equipment is detected, the airship sends a recovery squad as quickly as possible to the site. Any competitors are forced away from the find and it is brought back to the ship for evaluation. Often recon flights will discover exosuits being piloted by amateurs in small groups or even alone. Such easy targets are rarely allowed to escape. There have also been several occasions where the Empyrean Knights have launched full scale assaults involving several hundred exosuits on concentrations of alien tech. 'Personnel and Assets' Although the exact extent of Empyrean Knight resources are unknown, they are estimated to possess between 6 and 10 airships with approximately 25 exosuits and 50 support staff on each vessel. Some experts believe that the faction also must posses one or more ground staging areas and bases in remote and hidden locations which they use to maintain their fleet. The high tech nature of their operations means that almost all officers of the Empyrean Knights are aerospace engineers, mechanical engineers, material science engineers or various other scientific disciplines. Most also have significant military experience. In this respect the organization is very similar to some nations submarine forces.There are several specialties within the force. The exosuit pilots most often have significant military and combat experience. The support staff are often research engineers similar to those in the US Navy Nuclear Power School. The result of such an exclusive team is a small, mobile, highly efficient, and extremely effective organization. Many observer have commented on the difficulty of amassing a team of such highly qualified individuals. For this reason there is much debate amoung experts as to the source of Empyrean Knight funding and organization. Some have noticed the high number of members that have american military experience and therefore believe that the knights are an unofficial branch of the United States Military. They suggest that the united states is trying to capture 'Technology' The Empyrean Knights invest much of their resources into reverse engineering and applying alien technology. They also have immense expertise with conventional aerospace technology. 'XR-46 Cyclone' The Exosuit Recon Model 46 “Cyclone” is a power armor template developed to meet aerial exosuit pilot requirements. Most suit pods that come into Empyrean knight hands are used to create this armor. The Cyclone is designed for stealth reconnaissance, high speed, and strong long range firepower. It uses a comprehensive sensor suite with augmented reality to detect potential threats. Twin shoulder mounted rail guns offer firepower that can easily defeat the most heavily armored super heavy exosuits. Ion thrusters and other mobility enhancements give the Cyclone absolutely peerless maneuverability. Perfect hovering capability allows the suit to take maximum advantage of terrain in a tactical environment. Additionally, the Cyclone can exceed Mach 1 in normal flight. An on-board stealth generator, ECM, and top tier armor materials allow excellent threat evasion and survivability. Heavy Lift Airships During the 2010's several large cargo airships were under development around the world for civilian and military applications. The Empyrean knights were able to acquire several of these ships and equipped them to serve as aircraftcarriers and mobile headquarters for their squadrons of flying exosuits. A length of almost 300 meters allows these airships to carry 500 tons of equipment. Advanced solar panels and energy storage systems mean they can remain airborne indefinitely. They can travel at up to 120 mph and can reach altitudes of over 20000 meters. Dynamic buoyancy systems allow the ship to land without ground infrastructure of any kind. They can even land on water, like a modern-day privateer vessel. The Airships roam the globe as the compliment of reconnaissance exosuits scout for alien technology and gather intelligence. 'Operational History' Although few in number, the Empyrean Knights mobility allows them to be involved in operations all over the globe, like a band of modern-day privateers. Battle of Mogadishu The most high profile of which was the battle of Mogadishu, where the Vox Populi and Empyrean knights came into conflict to control over 10 suit pods that had dropped in and around the city. 'Encounter at Lagunas de Chacahua' The hunters and Empyrean Knights had engaged in several minor skirmishes around the southern mexican state of Oaxaca which culminated in the battle of Lagunas de Chacahua. 'Operation Hoarfrost' Weeks after the suitfall, most of the alien drop pods had already been claimed. Empyrean Knight command calculated that many alien drop pods were lying unclaimed in the frozen wastes of Antartica. 2 airships were dispatched to capitalize on the opportunity. Over the coarse of several weeks, the knights were able to collect over 200 alien drop pods untill their ships came across a UNISSO task force that had figured out what was happening. 'Marshall Islands Incident' The marshall islands incident was the catalyst to create the Deep Sky Coalition between The Abyss and Empyrean Knights. A relatively large piece of debris from the fae spaceship was discovered by both factions. on an island in the pacific ocean. Unfortunately it was under the control of a relatively large Suit Cult. This suit cult had evolved from a polynesian cargo cult and clearly had no intention of understanding the suits or ship debris. The Abyss and Empyrean Knights had long been on friendly terms and frquently exchanged trade, information, and research. The two factions realized that the best chance for them to recover the alien technology was to work together to defeat the suit cult. A joint opertaion was launched against the suit cult involving dozens of exosuits from each faction. Although outnumbered, combined Abyss and Empyrean Knight forces were able to defeat the cult and recover the alien ship debris. An agreement to share the knowledge and resources from the expedition was reached. This agreement eventually evolved into an alliance and named the Deep Sky Coalition. 'Notable Pilots and Members' 'Einherjar' The most famous ace of the Empyrean Knights is a man who is credited with over 50 exosuit victories and leads the elite "Aesir Squadron." It is rumored that he was mortally wounded in 2016 during the Exosuit Battle of Mogadishu. Using alien stasis technology, his brain and nervous system were removed from his ruined body and permanently interred within an exosuit. The poetic circumstances have not been lost to members of the Aesir Squadron. the fact that his body was killed in combat and his "soul" resurrected to once again do battle has earned him the callsign "Einherjar." 'Shock' Shock also earned her call-sign after the battle of Mogadishu for destroying 2 Vox Populi exosuits and a dozen conventional soldiers. It is a typically humorous acronym created by Shock's squadron that stands for "Shit Hot Ovulating Commie Killer." 'Mako' 'Sphinx' 'Raphus cucullatus' 'Strato' Stratovarius "Strato" Espera is a pilot with over 20 confirmed kills. Skilled in melee combat, he is renowned for his controversial "berserk" battlefield tactics, as well as his charming, sarcastic nature. Little is known about his life before he joined the Empyrean Knights, but his tenacity and near-unrivaled prowess in 1-on-1 combat has earned him notable prominence in the Knights, and infamy amongst the ranks of his enemies. He pilots the RAMM "Warglaive Ascendant" suit, a crimson harpy build armed with a signature glaive and shield that is fully capable of combat in space and high altitudes. Relations 'The Abyss - Allied' The Empyrean Knights have a military, intelligence, and trade alliance with The Abyss called the Deep Sky Coalition. They have conducted joint military operations on several occasions, most often in response to the encroachment of UNISSO forces. The knights specialize in aerial operations while the abyss is master of the seas. Their complimentary specialties allow them to work toward the same goal without becoming competitors. The two groups share many of the same goals and values: *They are both factions with highly educated scientific personnel. *They both desire to aquire and understand alien technology. *They have a complete disregard for the Fae/Symbiote War. *They both reject the world's nations and have consquently hostile relations with UNISSO. For these reasons, an alliance between The Empyrean Knights and The Abyss was a natural one and only required a catalyst to take shape. That catalyst was the Marshall Islands Incident. The Brinkers-Nuetral The Crusaders-Nuetral Desperado Enforcement-Nuetral Fae-Nuetral Hunters-Hostile Safety Net-Cold Symbiotes-Nuetral Thunderbird Mail Service-Friendly UNISSO-Hostile Vox Populi-Hostile Category:Factions Category:Empyrean Knights